Mueck’s sculptures are so lifelike that we find it hard to believe that they are modelled and cast in the traditional way rather than cast from life, even though, as is the case with ‘Mask III’, it is many times the size of a human head. The work is highly idealised and made to have even rounder and more benign-looking features than those of a person it was based on. Shortly before he made 'Mask III', Mueck had visited an exhibition containing a number of sculptures of the Buddha, he attempted to capture some of the inner peace and serenity of these Buddhas. The head is as round and calming as a full moon. Its symmetry is enhanced by the lack of a body.